Even years after its release, it has truly survived the test of time and stood as a virtuoso in optimization. zWORMzGaming’s hashtagged tweet showcased the highly optimized nature of the game and reignited the perennial debate as to what truly stands for optimization in a game.
The original tweet stated that RDR2 would maintain a steady frame rate of 30+ FPS in native 1080p mode with graphics set to high on GTX 1650, probably with few random dips on occasion; an option not even considered remotely high-end in 2024. At medium settings, the game will run at a very steady 50 FPS. On the flip side, Unreal Engine 5 titles struggle even at similar settings from an RTX 4060 Ti, giving more glory to Rockstar’s RAGE engine.
Players had their chance to enter with testimonies. Jimmy said that he had finished the game on GTX 1650, while Big Smoke reminisced about the good days with GTX 1060: Fun times, still pretty. Red Bar Gaming TV went wild flexing with their RTX 5070Ti and said they’re maxed out at 4K DLSS4 hit 100+ FPS. All agree that even on lesser-end hardware, RDR2 is a technical marvel.
Dissenting voices appeared, though. Some quirks were mentioned, with Kamby blaming noisy upscaling and hiccups in CPU utilization. MAGA MACHINE complained weirdly high-FPS bugs, like randomly falling off your horse, or your fishing poles refusing to work unless you forced the framerate cap. Still, these snags would hardly drown out the bulk of praise directed at Rockstar’s optimization efforts.
The debate suddenly took a jaw-dropping turn toward UE5. NikTek’s original tweet was far from simply egregiously praising RDR2; it was a sly dig at the infamous UberOrgUE5 optimization problems. This initiated a full-blown argument in the reply section-fast with some defending UE5 as a newer engine and, therefore, more demanding, while others insisted it’s straight rigged. Detective and Santhosh then waltzed back and forth-saying Rockstar’s immense budgets and development (eight years and 1,000 devs) would have made things easier to optimize; Detective countering that smaller studios like Arrowhead (Helldivers 2) and Focus Entertainment (Space Marine 2) managed great optimization without Rockstar-level funds).
As per sound design: JkJerry opened up a thread on how RDR2 sound design elevates the experience itself-from saddle leather creaking to coyotes howling far away. It’s not just about graphics or performance; the attention to detail makes the world come alive in a way that most open-world games still can’t match.
And this is how all unfolds. RDR2 still stands tall as the benchmark of optimization, proving that even in the age of games bloated to 150GB in size demanding state-of-the-art hardware, it is possible to wow at the game’s visuals and performance without asking for a NASA supercomputer in jest. Whether it really is Rockstar’s mastery of engines, their insane budgets, or just traditional razzle-dazzle, this is one game that sets that bar which others should really aspire to but rarely do.
Hey, if you’re still fighting the good fight on your faithful GTX 1650, don’t sweat it. RDR2 has your back.
